A fine night
Or so you thought

The moon decided to hide today
And even though not much on the ground is visible,
There is a showcase of stars in the sky.

You are sitting in your room
Looking out the window
Admiring the display of lights,


In the middle of your peace

You hear the echo of an intruder

The sound of someone demanding to get in

A knock

Could it be?
This late in the night?
Who would be brave enough?
Who would be willing to leave their residences, an hour past midnight, in order to get to you?

Maybe you just imagined it
Maybe the sound was nothing but a phantom of your imagination.

You decide to ignore it
And you resume your imagination
You let it pull you closer to the stars
Your whole existence revolves around the beauty of nature

Knock Knock

It pulls you back to reality
You start to realize
Someone's outside
Someone whats to get in
And you ignored them.

Knock Knock

But who?
Your mind lacks the creativity to think
To think of the reason
Or the identity
Of the living soul standing at your door

Knock Knock

You try looking out the window
Maybe a look at their face might turn the gears in your head
But the web of constellations only light the sky
And the ground remains blind

Knock Knock Knock

What a stubborn being!
Can't it have a bit of patience?
What could possibly be so urgent?
What could he possibly have to discuss at this hour?

Knock Knock Knock Knock

Irritated
Frustrated
You leave your window
And march down the stairs
This being could not possibly be related to you

KNOCK KNOCK

You finally reach the door and touch the ****

A thought strikes your mind
As sudden and powerful as when a firework reaches the sky

There was only one answer
Only one reason behind the why
Only one exception for peace in this marvelous night

This being was being chased
This person was trying to hide
This creature was in danger

It was asking for your attention
It was asking for your help

Was it too late?
Had the lonely soul left?

KNOCK
KNOCK
KNOCK
KNOCK
KNOCK

It was still there!

KNOCK

There was still hope

KNOCK

There is no time to waste

KNOCK

Your hand wraps around the handle of your door
Full of impatience
You pull open the door to the entrance of your house

You let the darkness embrace your entrance

The silhouette of the beast in the distance

And unfortunately

You don't manage to see the face of the thing your just salvaged

Because the bullet was quicker than your eyes.

Hello everyone,

  I'm so very sorry … I feel horrible doing this, but I have no choice. You see, I have published my first book on Amazon/Kindle! This piece (and many others) had to be taken down because they do not allow published material to be available online for free. (Go figure) I wanted to leave the shell of the posts because I felt compelled to leave all your helpful and loving comments. (Silly sentimental, I know), but I also didn't want to just have the pieces disappear without an explanation. I feel bad enough as it is!

  I owe ALL of you so, SO much for all of your reads, love, and support. It was YOU that gave me the gumption to FINALLY get off my **** and publish! Thank you all for the warm comments, camaraderie, and encouragement! I will still be here, reading, uploading and just being the Rascal that I am. How could I EVER leave you guys?

  The book is called “The Way I See It – FictionPhilosophySoul Food” and it will be FREE for the first few days on Kindle Select, so watch for it, if you are interested. I hope that you go and grab it. If you do, I would also hope that you find it worthy, you would leave me a good review. That will help me get in the public eye! Soon afterward (2-3 days or so), it will be available in paperback.

Find the book(s) here: www.amazon.com/author/jeff.gaines

Or find the book(s), and all about me, here: www.JeffGaines.world

  Soon after, I also hope to have my first novel (a supernatural thriller), called “Wanderer” available as well!

  Wish me luck!

                                                          ­             Big, Biggest Love,

                                                          ­                    Jeff Gaines

I watched the way she fell
And knew
****** Carolina
Through and through
Saw the colors red and blue
Streaming down my face as tears
Never feel in life again
Never feel in love again
Tearing up my face in waves
Read the colors black and blue
Through and through
****** Carolina
I knew
I watched the way she fell

Empty inbox filled with spam
      Desperate posts with no replies
            Old friend that's just a contact
                    
Streets that are just park lots
     Playgrounds built for geese and ghosts
             Delicate souls hidden in the drive thru

Forgotten songs set as ringtones
      Refreshing the page for hours
            But nothing ever changes when you need it to

And here I am writing love poems and letters
      Never to be read by you as intended
           But keyboards, screens, and those feeling just as alone

We are the ones who are hard to understand
We'll be the last ones in the movie theatre
because the ending scene made us cry
We'll stop to smell the roses
because they deserve to be appreciated
We are the ones who will take the time
to learn what keeps you up at night
We are the ones who will imagine
an entire future of adventures
with the people who show us love

We are the ones who will love you more
than we love ourselves
We will give you our strongest parts
in hopes that we can make things better
We desire to see you become the best you
to make sure that you always feel our love
We crave affection and appreciation
We give a piece of ourselves away every day
sometimes to people who don't deserve it
Our love is easy to take advantage of
and sometimes we don't get back
the love that we give away

When we hurt, we crumble and fall apart
We constantly have to put ourselves back together
We are more fragile than we like to give off
We carry our emotions on our sleeves
Our flaws have the ability to consume us
We aren't afraid to give you the world
but we are afraid to feel unloved
We want you to see what we see
We want you to understand where we're coming from

We are good people with good intentions
We are stronger than we believe
Not everyone can feel the way we feel
We feel too much, too often
We are not hard to love
We are something not everyone knows how to love
But you need to remember that
your worth does not change just because
no one is there to appreciate you, to remind you

You are not any less lovable
You are the most lovable person in the world
You are a light that the world needs
Your kindness is not your weakness
You do not need to change for anyone's acceptance
You do not need to stop giving love
just because you don't get any back
Your heart is the best thing about you

And one day when you least expect it
someone will notice you from across the room
and know exactly how to love you
They will think all of these things are beautiful
They will deserve the love you can give
They will fill the empty space in your heart
But for now, don't stop feeling
We are the ones who feel everything so deeply
We are the ones who can't give up because
We are the ones who will teach the world
how to love

Sparrows tumbled from my throat,
which is to say that my Grandfather is on the phone
and my Spanish is not what it used to be.
I spin silky yarns across the sea
of an American Dream he’s only seen in telenovelas.
He wants to know what mom left home for
so I fill sidewalk cracks with 24 karat gold
and turn graffiti into stained glass marvels.
He drinks in my descriptions like communion wine,
savors each syllable like it’s the crimson Blood of Christ
and I pray that he believes me.
God, I pray that he believes.
The heat hasn’t worked for weeks
but I paint him a fireplace,
a winding spiral staircase,
a home mud could never dream of.
I don’t mention the growing mold
or how when it rains, it leaks,
or the landlord tired of bounced checks
or how mom cries when she thinks i’m asleep
but through the sprawling, tangled wires
i’ll give abuelo the world, and tonight,
he’ll sleep better than ever before.